Cleaning machine



Jan, 6," 1925.

1,521,620 J. B. HADAWAY CLEANING MACHINE Filed June 14, 1919 PatentedJan. 6, 1925.

UNITED ssrss JOHN B. HADAWAY, F SVVAMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0UNITED SHOE, MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATE-RSGN, NEW JERSEY, ACORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Application filed June 14,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. HADAWAY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Swampscott, in the county of Essex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented cer tain Improvements in Cleaning Machines,of which the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a specification, like reference characters'on the drawingsindicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to the cleaning of such material as shoe uppersof cloth .or leather, when such material has become I soiled.

The present practice of cleaning shoe uppers, particularly when theshoes are to be packed for shipment, is to rub the material, by hand,with an erasing substance such as rubber. This practice has theadvantages that there is no oil which can be thrown off so as to get onthe goods, and there is no abrasion of the goods, and no separatecleaning fluid or similar substance is required.

Important features of the present invention reside in a novelorganization of poweroperated means which, while simulating the handmethod of cleaning above referred to, and retaining thecharacteristicadvantages thereof, render theoutput uniform as comparedwith hand cleaned goods, and provide for performing the operationcontinuously at a faster speed than is possible when the work isperformed manually. 1

Another objection to the ordinary hand method of cleaning colored shoeuppers by a rubbing action with gum is that the operator usually rubsthe material longitudinally or in one plane so as to result in making asmooch upon the goods. A further important feature of my inventionresides in the provision of novel means whereby the cleaning elementalways moves in a curved path and also toward and from the work so that,as the material is shifted along while in contact with the cleaningmaterial, the rubbing lines upon the goods are constantly crossing eachother. V

With these and other features of my. invention, which will behereinafter more specifically referred to, the invention consists in thecleaning device substantially as here inafter described and claimed.

CLEANING MACHINE.

1919. Serial No. 304,237.

. In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one machine or device embodying myimprovements.

' Flgs. 2, 8 and 4c are views similar to .a

portion of Fig. 1, but illustrating other embodiments of my invention.

Referring Ifirst to Figfl, a suitable base 12 is formed or provided.with a standard having arms 13,141. At the end 'of arm 13 1s a bearing15 in which is mounted a shaft 16 having means for rotating it such asfast 1, the means for varying said throw may' consist of a pluralityofholes in the arm 24-, the end of the link 25 being adapted to beengagedwith either one of said holes. Y

The spindle 22 is preferably adapted to V be shifted endwise in thebearings 20,21, a spring 26 confined betwee'nthe bearings 20 and the hub23 serving to yieldingly hold the spindle 22 and the rribbenpresentlydescribed, in its lower position' Suitably attached to the loweriend ofthe spindle 22 and at one side of the axis thereof is a holder 27 forthe'cleani'ng material 28. J As shown. said holder is open from end toend to enable a piece of the cleaning material to be inserted-and then,as it wears, to be ad justed as by pushing it down." The holder 27 maybeof any shape or kind and may be provided with any suitable means forgradually ejecting "or pressing the material 28 down as it wears Thecleaning material 28 is preferably what is known as art gum,

and it is so carried bythe holder 27'as to projectat the lower end ofthe latter;

IVhen themachine of the type illustrated in Fig. 1 is in operation, ashort radius of oscillation is imparted to theholdcr 27 and the rubbing'inaterial 28, which latter has a combined twisting and oscillatingmovement relatively to the work which will be fed along, in contact withthe lower end of said material, by the operator.

The holder 27 may be supplied with new material either through an openupper end 7 and may be fed downward by any suitable In Fig. 2 the partshaving the same ref" 7 erence numerals as in F ig.- 1 are or may be thein structure. Said figure, however,- illustrates means whereby theholder and the rubber carried thereby moves in a com plete circular pathinstead of oscillating;

For this purpose a pulley 30 is secured to the spindle 22, said pulleyand the spindle and the rubber beingretatecl by means of a belt 31-. Aspring 82 confined between the bearing 20 and the pulley 3O yieldin lyholds the spindle in its lower position, but

at the same time permits the spindle to be either shifted upwardly bythe operators pressure of thework against the rubber, or to cause thespindle and its rubber to shift i'yertieally, this latter movement beingef= fected by means of a stationary cam rib 88 which may be a part ofthe bearing 21, and a cam 34 carried by the pulley so.

In Fig. 1 I- have indicated, by arrows ad= jacen't the rubber 28, theapproximate path of movement which said rubber has rela tively' to thework; In Fig; 2 I have indi= cated by the line a the path which therubber follows when the cam 34 is not riding on the cam rib 33, the line6 indicating the path in a higher plane which is followed by the tip" ofthe rubber 28, while the cam 3: is riding over the cam rib 83; In planView the lines a and 32 would, of course, describe a circle. Fig. 2being a perspective, however, the lines a and 37,- by comparison;indicate that during a part of the rotation of the rubber its tip is ina lower plane than when said tip is moving through that portion of thepath indicated by the line i). This, when the work is being fed along bythe operator,- results in the rubber making a rapid series of rubhingcontacts with the work, all of which will be in the same direction but,owing to the feeding the work along, the curved lines or paths ofrubbing contact will cross each other; In Fig. 3 the structure issubstantially the same. as in Fig. 2 excepting that the cani and cam ribare omitted so that the tip of the rubber 28 moves in a circular path ofuniform plane. a

The modification shown in Fig. 4 is the same asth'at shovn in Fig. lex'cept that 3e and cam rib 33 have been added to produce a lightpounding against the work.

The actuating mechanism in Fig. 1 is preferable because the rubbing pathof contact with the work is not only curved, but is also back and forthso as to very closely simulate the most eli'ective rubbing movement thatis erformed manually; This movement is particularly effective becausethere is a continual flexing 01 the tip of the rubber back and forth atthe ends of the rubbing strokes.

Of course, any means for removing the small particles of rubber whichwill be contiuually leaving the cleaning material may be simple ed, suchas suitable brushing or vacuuin' t eviees not necessary to illustrate.-

When the modification shown in Fig. 4 is used the tip of the cleaningmaterial 28 will have not only the peculiar back and forth rubbingmovement in a curved path, but also will be rapidly moved to and fromcontact with the materiaL 'Owing to the fact that the work is heldagainst the tip of the material 28,- and thefact that the said materialaudits holder may yield, due to the spring 26, the cam mechanism of Fig;4; will result in constantly varying the amount of pressure or contactwith the work because the mere act of the operator in presenting thework to the rubber will cause the work to tend to somewhat follow anyver ticalmovements of the rubber so that, as the latter reeiprocates oroscillates, it has a motion which might be compared somewhat to a lighthammering contact between the rub her and the work.

By the term rubber employed herein I mean to include any material whichcleans by a rubbin action, whether the material be art gum orcaoutchouc; or some equivalent thereof, which cleans without abrasion orwithout the addition of some othe r substance; When art gum is employed,it is desirable tc strengthen it to reduce its liability to break-Suchstrengthening may be eiiected by a core of tough or fibrousmaterial. 1

Having described claim is z i 1. A cleaning device of the characterdescribed comprising arnbber carrier mounted to move about an axisofise't from the center of the rubber and open from end to end to enablethe r'ubberto be adjusted therein, and means for actuating said carrier.

2; A machine of the character described comprising a work-engagingmember.v and mechanically actuated means for moving it bodily in theplane of the work and intermittently toward and away from that plane,

3, A machine of the character described comprising a spindle having aholder at one side of the axis of said spindle, cleaning ma terialcarried by said holder, said holder comprising a tube open from end toend to my invention, what I scribed comprising, in combination, acleaning member, means for moving said member in engagement with a pieceof work, means to press said member against the work, and meansintermittently to vary the pressureon said member.

5. A machine of the character described comprising a holder havingrubbing material, and mechanism for imparting to said holderco-ordinated movements in different planes to move the rubbing materialin a three-dimensional orbit.

6. A machine of the character described comprising a spindle having atubular holder laterally offset therefrom, a rubber adjustably. fittedwithin said holder so as to protrude from one end thereof, and means forshifting the holder around the axis of the spindle.

7. A machine of the character described comprising a spindle having aholder, a rubber carried by said holder, and means for impartingreciprocatory and oscillatory motion to the spindle and holder.

10. In a machine of the class described,

in combination, a holder, cleaningmaterial adjustably mounted therein tobeadvanced as it wears away, a rotarys'haft, and connectionstherebetween to oscillate said holder bodily to and fro once for eachrotation of the shaft, said connections being adjustable to vary theextent of the oscillations.

11. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a work-engagingmember, a

rotary shaft, andconnections therebetween' to'move said member bodily inengagement with a piece of work and to move it intermittently toward andfrom the Work.

12. A machine of the class described having, in combination, awork-engaging member, a rotary shaft, and connections between saidmember and shaft to move the former about an axis located exteriorlythereof and to pound it against the work, said connections includingcoacting parts arranged to be separatedor brought together according tothe pressure of the work against said member so that varying saidpressure will vary the pounding action of said member.

13. A cleaning machine comprising, in combination, a flexible stick ofcleaning material, a support therefor, and mechanism to move the supportback and forth with the stick in rubbing engagement with a piece ofwork, the stick and support being relatively arranged so that the stickflexes'reversely at opposite ends of its rubbing strokes in imitation ofhand manipulation, for the purpose described.

14. A machine as defined by claim 13, in combination with a cam forintermittently varying the pressure of the cleaning material on thework. g

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN B. HADAWAY.

